” As the oldest continuous culture on Earth, we know that maintaining our connection to country and our cultural traditions is a key to our health and wellbeing.

The report also raises some of the challenges faced by young First Australians including 42 per cent who were not engaged in education, employment or training.

Although there has been a decline in smoking rates for young First Australians, one in three people aged between 15–24 was still a daily smoker in 2014-15 and 62 per cent of those aged 10-24 had longer-term health challenges such as respiratory or vision problems or mental health conditions.

Clearly there is much work to do to strengthen prevention and early intervention initiatives that will help build strong families and communities.’

Minister Ken Wyatt Press Release See Part 3 Below : Noting we will publish the Ministers full launch speech later this week 

“ We thank both the Minister and the AIHW for choosing our sell out NACCHO Members’ Conference attended by over 500 members and stakeholders to launch the first AIHW report that solely focuses on the health and wellbeing of our young Indigenous people aged 10–24.

By providing insights into their health and wellbeing including areas where they are doing well and challenges they face, the report aims to contribute to better outcomes for Indigenous young people today, as they move into adulthood, and for future generations of Indigenous Australians.”

Mr John Singer, Chairperson and Donnella Mills Deputy Chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation last week welcomed the launching by Minister for Indigenous Ken Wyatt at NACCHO Members’ Conference and AGM , the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW’s) report Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adolescent and Youth Health and Wellbeing 2018

Introduction

1. Young Indigenous population
2. Wellbeing of young Indigenous people
3. Health of young Indigenous people
4. Social and economic determinants
5. Health risk factors
6. Health services
7. How do young Indigenous people compare

Download Copy of Report 

aihw-ihw-198

 ” NACCHO Youth Health Conference – future ACCHO “ leaders of tomorrow “

 ” Last Tuesday I welcomed seventy-five young people from around Australia to our inaugural NACCHO Youth Health Conference: Future leaders of Tomorrow where they discussed their health and public policy issues affecting our youth. I was inspired by these future ACCHO “ leaders of tomorrow “ with their positive and innovative report back to the plenary session”

John Singer NACCHO Chair: Noting a full NACCHO Youth report will be published later this week 

Mr Singer observed that this snapshot-style report has been designed to provide an easy overview of the key issues, suitable for a wide audience including his 145 NACCHO members operating 302 urban, regional and remote ACCHO plus other policymakers, researchers and service providers.

Youth is a key transition period in a person’s life. It is a time when decisions are made about relationships, education and career paths, employment and finances. The social, economic, environmental and technological changes that have occurred in recent decades mean that young people now face issues that previous generations may not have experienced.

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may face additional obstacles in making a successful transition to adulthood. The effect of inter-generational trauma, racism and prejudice, and socioeconomic disadvantage are all relevant in understanding the experiences of young Indigenous people today

The report provides data on 65 indicators. The indicators are grouped according to their focus on health and wellbeing outcomes, social determinants and risk factors or the use of health services.

The report brings together data from a variety of sources, and includes information on health outcomes, determinants and service use for Indigenous youth with data disaggregated by age group, sex, state and territory and remoteness areas.

Part 2 Key findings:

• In 2016, there were around 242,000 Indigenous people aged 10–24 in Australia. About 1 in 20 young people in Australia was Indigenous.
• In 2014–15, a majority of young Indigenous people aged 10–24 assessed their health as either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ (63%).
• 61% of young Indigenous people aged 10 to 24 recognised their traditional homelands or traditional country, and 69% were involved in cultural events in the previous 12 months.
• There was an increase in the proportion of young Indigenous people aged 20–24 who had Year 12 or equivalent attainment from 47% in 2006 to 65% in 2016.
• Young Indigenous people aged 15–24 who smoked daily declined from 45% in 2002 to 31% in 2014–15. There was also an increase in young people who never smoked from 44% in 2002 to 56% in 2014–15.
• The mortality rate for young Indigenous people has declined, from 70 per 100,000 in 2005 to 67 per 100,000 in 2015. There were an estimated 490 avoidable deaths for young Indigenous people aged 15–24, representing 83% of Indigenous deaths for this age group.
• In 2012–13, most young Indigenous people aged 10–24 had access to a GP in their local area (83%).
• Between 2010 and 2016, the proportion of young people aged 15–24 who had an Indigenous health check (MBS item 715) rose from 6% to 22%.

There remains key challenges to be addressed:

• In 2016, 42% of young Indigenous people were not engaged in education, employment or training.
• Although there has been a decline in smoking rates for young Indigenous people, 1 in 3 Indigenous youth aged 15–24 were still daily smokers in 2014–15.
• 62% of young Indigenous people aged 10–24 had a long-term condition, most prevalent was respiratory disease (36%) and eye and vision problems (20%) and mental health conditions (10%).
• In 2011, the leading contributors to the disease burden for Indigenous 10 to 24-year-olds were suicide and self-inflicted injuries (13%), anxiety disorders (8%), alcohol use disorders (7%) and road traffic accidents (6%).
• In 2015-16, the leading causes of hospitalisations for young Indigenous people aged 10–24 were injury and poisoning (37 per 1,000) and mental and behavioural disorders (20 per 1,000).

Part 3 Minister Ken Wyatt Press Release

The health and wellbeing of First Australian teenagers and young adults is the focus of a unique new report released today.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adolescent and Youth Health and Wellbeing 2018 report reveals specific, national data on 10-24 year olds for the first time.

The positive outcomes highlighted in this Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) research show where concerted and targeted efforts by First Nations families, communities, government and health care organisations are getting results.

Sixty-three per cent of First Australians aged 10–24 assessed their health as either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.

The number of First Australians aged 15-24 who smoked daily declined from 45 per cent in 2002 to 31 per cent in 2014-15. There was also an increase in young people who never smoked, up from 44 per cent in 2002 to 56 per cent in 2014 15.

In 2012-13, 83 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 10-24 had access to a GP in their local area.

Between 2010 and 2016, the proportion of young people aged 15–24 who had an Indigenous health check (MBS item 715) almost quadrupled, from 6 per cent to 22 per cent.

It is also pleasing to see 61 per cent of our young people reported having a connection to country and 69 per cent were involved in cultural events in the previous 12 months.

As the oldest continuous culture on Earth, we know that maintaining our connection to country and our cultural traditions is a key to our health and wellbeing.

The report also raises some of the challenges faced by young First Australians including 42 per cent who were not engaged in education, employment or training.

Although there has been a decline in smoking rates for young First Australians, one in three people aged between15–24 was still a daily smoker in 2014-15 and 62 per cent of those aged 10-24 had longer-term health challenges such as respiratory or vision problems or mental health conditions.

Clearly there is much work to do to strengthen prevention and early intervention initiatives that will help build strong families and communities.

While the health of babies and younger children creates a crucial foundation for healthier and longer lives, data like this is vital in ensuring a good start continues into adulthood.

It will inform the Closing the Gap refresh and help us to understand what is working well and where we need to focus our energies, so all young First Australians can reap the benefits of better health and wellbeing.

Our Government has committed to spending approximately $10 billion to improve First People’s health over the next decade.

I thank the AIHW and Professor Sandra Eades, Chair of the AIHW Expert Advisory Group and the team of experts for their work on this important and timely report.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adolescent and Youth Health and Wellbeing 2018 can be found on the AIHW website.